Early in the morning the cleaning woman came.

In her sheer energy and haste she banged all the doors (in precisely the way people had already asked her to avoid), so much so that once she arrived a quiet sleep was no longer possible anywhere in the entire apartment.

In her customarily brief visit to Gregor she at first found nothing special.

She thought he lay so immobile there intending to play the offended party. She gave him credit for as complete an understanding as possible.

Because she happened to hold the long broom in her hand, she tried to tickle Gregor with it from the door.

When that was quite unsuccessful, she became irritated and poked Gregor a little, and only when she had shoved him from his place without any resistance did she become attentive.

When she quickly realized the true state of affairs, her eyes grew large, she whistled to herself, but didn't restrain herself for long.

She pulled open the door of the bedroom and yelled in a loud voice into the darkness, "Come and look. It's kicked the bucket. It's lying there, totally snuffed!" The Samsa married couple sat upright in their marriage bed and had to get over their fright at the cleaning woman before they managed to grasp her message.

But then Mr. and Mrs. Samsa climbed very quickly out of bed, one on either side.

Mr. Samsa threw the bedspread over his shoulders, Mrs. Samsa came out only in her night-shirt, and like this they stepped into Gregor's room.